


Ten Years too late?

by meganlariviere89



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 12:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20309656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meganlariviere89/pseuds/meganlariviere89
Summary: ten years after leaving her hometown Lucy is headed home. Celebrating their 10 year high school reunion should make for a fun time for the group of friends, let just hope the past doesnt ruin the present.





	Ten Years too late?

**Author's Note:**

> First time writer so please be gentle. Nalu pairing, not hate to Nali shippers of course.

This early morning flight was not how Lucy Heartfelia wanted to start her day, hell she usually was still sleeping for another few hours normally but not today. No today she had to take a 5 hour flight starting at 6 am all the way to Magnolia. She hadn't even wanted to come back to her hometown for this lame reunion until her best friend Levy MacGarden had begged her. Levy hadn't wanted Lucy to miss their 10 year high school reunion since Lucy had missed every other get together her friends have had since graduation. Levy had begged until finally Lucy broke down and bought the plane ticket. Levy then told everyone they knew that Lucy was finally coming home telling Lucy everyone would be so excited to see her. Lucy wasn't as enthused mostly because in the ten years since she has been home her life hadn't been going that great. She had just quit her low paying job because her boss with a preverted jerk and she had put notice at her apartment since she could no longer afford the rediculous rent now. Lucy had dumped her cheating boyfriend Dan after she had caught him sleeping with one of his coworkers. Lucy had sold all of her stuff besides her clothes and beloved books and used what little money she had to book the flight back home. She was done with her life in Crocus and ready to start again in Magnolia, the beautiful town she grew up in. Lucy hadn't wanted to tell Levy how her life was a huge mess but she finally broke down a days before the flight and told Levy everything which Levy in return invited Lucy to move in since her old roommate Erza had moved out after her wedding. Lucy, of course, jumped at the chance to start again and living with her best friend was a pretty great situation. 

When Lucy's plane finally arrived she was dying for caffeine and luckily Levy was waiting with coffee and a smile. Which was an amazing sight to the grumpy Lucy who doesn't do well without her morning coffee. The two best friends hugged and sipped their coffees while grabbing Lucy's bags and walking and talking to Levy's orange VW beetle. On the way to Levy's apartment Lucy caught Levy up on what her ex kept texting her and how Lucy was going to start applying to jobs later that day. Levy owned a bookstore/ cafe which her apartment was above. She even offered to let Lucy pick up a few shifts since she was short-staffed at the moment anyways. Lucy was excited since she had always loved the bookstore which was Levy's pride and joy. Lucy was so proud of her friend for starting her own business and keeping it going all on her own. Lucy wanted to be a writer which wasn't going so well at the moment, she had been working on her novel for a few years now but she still had to work at the newspaper as an assistent editor to make ends meet but then her pervy boss got a little handsy and Lucy had told his to eff off and promptly quit. She would need to find another job here in Magnolia to help Levy with rent and bring in some income until she sold her novel when it was finished. When they arrived at the apartment Lucy went to her room to unpack luckily Erza had left a bed and some furniture behind for Lucy to use since she had nothing but clothes and books to her name right now. Levy left to go downstairs to open her shop while Lucy got settled.  
About an hour later while Lucy was getting ready to shower she heard her cellphone ping with a incoming text, it was from Levy- hey L, make yourself at home I will be back at 5. Lucy had just put her phone down when it pinged again this time the text was from her ex Dan -  
LuLu please don't be this way she meant nothing,  
Lucy blocked his number, feeling a bit better she went and took a long relaxing bath. After about 45 minutes Lucy finally got out and went to get dressed when she heard her phone ping again she checked her phone and she had 3 unread text, one from Erza saying she was happy Lucy was back, one from Gray saying he expected to go for drinks later that night and one from an unknown number she opened it and it said  
\- Hey luce its natsu levy told me you moved back when you have free time lets do coffee and catch up, I miss you

Lucy was shocked she hadn't expected Natsu Dragneel to get in contact with her so soon especially since their last meeting hadn't ended on the best terms. Natsu had been Lucy's first friend and later her first love, they had dated all through high school until right before graduation when he had gotten a scholarship to his choice school and Lucy had broken up with him. He hadn't taken it well and left the day after graduation and never spoke to Lucy again, and she couldn't even blame him. If she could go back in time she would change so many things . Even now ten years later Lucy knew she still was in love with him but she was smart enough to let him go since he really had a chance to become somebody.  
Lucy saved Natsu's number and replied -of course ill let you know asap. Lucy then got dressed and went down to the bookstore to help Levy out with the cafe and looked for jobs while the place wasn't busy. Around 4 Erza Scarlet came into the cafe giving Lucy a bone crushing hug and telling Lucy to never leave again. Erza ordered a chai tea for herself and a black coffee for her husband Jellal who arrived a few minutes after her. Lucy had always knew they would end up together since they met as children in a foster home they were both placed in. The foster family hadn't worked out but Erza had met Jellal and that was good enough for them. The newlyweds were still so adorable together and it gave Lucy a sense of yearning since thats what she had always wanted to have just someone to look at her like they looked at each other. After finishing their drinks and inviting Lucy over for dinner when she got settled they left. Levy was just finishing up a sale in the bookstore when the bell rung Lucy turned to see who the customer was when she froze, because the man standing before her in this tiny bookstore looking like he had just walked out of GQ magazine was none other then Natsu Dragneel. He still had his wild pink "salmon" hair and his crocked toothy smiley that made Lucy's heart skip a beat. His eyes were still that sparkling forest green that always made her knees weak. He just stared at her waiting for her to speak but she was in such shock that she couldn't move let alone talk. He finally said ''Hey luce" like it was the easiest thing in the world, like seeing her for the first time in ten years didn't make his a nervous wreck like it did her. Lucy just stared at him until she felt like her heart was gonna break through her ribs with wanting to get to him. She felt herself get dizzy and could feel the color drain from her face, she finally gave a weak squeak of a "hello" and fainted.  
Levy came running at the sound of a thump in the cafe and stopped in her tracks to see Natsu picked up a pale Lucy. Levy looked at Natsu like he had grown another head and said " what the hell Natsu did you do to her, I swear if you hurt her I'll have Gajeel skin you alive" and Natsu just chuckled "damn Levy no need to threaten me with my idiot cousin all i did was say hey to her and she turned pale as a ghost and passed the eff out " Natsu's little sister Wendy came up behind him saying "sorry levy im late for my shift natsu had to drive me, omg what happened here, why is lucy so pale and why is natsu holding her". Natsu explained again what happened to his little sister and then moved Lucy to the big couch at the back of the bookstore. All 3 crowded around the sleeping Lucy until she finally came to 10 minutes later. She woke up to 3 sets of eyes on her which was a bit unnerving but then she remember that she had passed out and was mortified until she recognized one set of eyes that hadnt been there before.  
Lucy-"Holy shit is that you Wendy" the blue haired woman just squeled and gave the blonde a huge hug.  
Wendy- "omg Lucy i thought Natsu was lying about you coming back, when did you get here?"  
Lucy- " Just today actually and I'm here for good or until I wear out my welcome with Levy"  
Levy-"which will never happen Lucy we all missed you way too much to send you away"  
all the while Natsu just stood by and watched the exchange between the 3 women before finally saying " sorry ladies i gotta head to an appointment but i will be by later to pick you up wendy, great to see you again levy and lucy i will come check on you later okay, bye" and quickly left out the cafe doors. Lucy was still in shock with how grown Wendy was, she had really grown into such a beautiful woman. She was only 11 years old when Lucy left town that she hadn't felt right contacting the girl after she got older so she had just left things the way they were. Lucy began to ask Wendy all about her life. Which Wendy was excited to tell having always looked up to lucy as a big sister. Wendy was in university and was going to become a doctor, since her and natsu had lost their parents to accident when wendy was young it made sense why wendy would want to go into medicine. Wendy was living with Natsu while in school and even engaged to Romeo Conbolt. It was hard to believe that Wendy was 21 now.

Lucy wanted to talk with Wendy more but Wendy needed to start her shift so Levy and Lucy left and headed a couple streets over to their favorite restaurant from their youth, Fairy Tail. The family bar and always been like a second home the youth of Magnolia since the owner had opened it to minors with having arcade games and a huge selection food to help keep the teenagers in the town out of trouble. Makarov had always had a soft spot for the misfits of the town which happened to be his best customers. Makarov retired from running the bar a few years back and now his grandson Laxus and his wife Mirajane ran it. But the place hadn't changed at all and Lucy was excited to be back. Mira was overjoyed to see Lucy walk in with Levy. She gave Lucy a bone-crushing hug and managed to make being around 8 months pregnant look amazing. Mirajane had always been a beautiful woman but now she was glowing. Laxus was bartending and sent the girls over drinks on the house with a smile and wave. Lucy had always looked up to Laxus as a older brother and he had stood up for her plenty growing up so she was overjoyed when he had finally confessed to Mirajane Strauss a few years back. Mira's brother Elfman was home from active duty in the marines and had just gotten married to Laxus' cousin Evergreen a few months back and their little sister who graduated with Lucy was waiting tables, when Lisanna seen Lucy she gave her a big smile and waved saying she would come talk soon. Just being back in Fairy tail made Lucy feel like home. She could see some of the usuals like Wakaba and Macao were sitting at the bar with Makarov drinking and watching some sport on the big screen, they all smiled and waved at Lucy and Makarov came and gave her a big hug and made her promise to never be gone that long again which Lucy of course promised. He then left the girls to order and eat their meals. It wasn't too long after that Gray Fullbuster came strolling in the bar with his shirt unbuttoned and his tie loosened girlfriend Juvia Lockster not far behind. Lucy had always had a very close relationship with Gray, he was like a brother to her but she did have to convince Juvia that she wasn't a love rival for a good 3 years until she finally believed her. Juvia really was a sweet girl even if she was a little stalkery. Gray had been best friends with Natsu since before anyone could remember and he treated Lucy like a little sister. Gray and Juvia joined Lucy and Levy for a drink and soon more people started showing up like Levy's boyfriend Gajeel Redfox and Cana Alberona who was drunk like always and Ezra and Jellal showed up too. Lucy felt like she was home and it felt good. 

After a few hours visiting friends and having a few drinks the group started to say their goodbyes, each giving Lucy a hug before leaving. Lucy had missed this just feeling like she belonged somewhere again. Levy had decided to stay the night with her boyfriend Gajeel to let Lucy have a quiet night getting settled into the new place. Lucy waved goodbye and promised to text Levy when she arrived home and went on her way. Since the bar wasn't but a 15 minute walk from the apartment and the late summer night air felt so refreshing Lucy enjoyed her walk, that is until she notice someone leaning again a wall a few building down. Wondering who could it be Lucy walked slowly down the sidewalk waiting to see the face of the person in the streetlights. Getting closer the person stepped more into the light and Lucy could make out the oh so familiar face of Natsu. He gave her his usual toothy smile with his hands in his pockets. Lucy should of known who it was but she had been hoping her heart was lying. Of course it was Natsu he had told her he wanted to speak to her earlier before leaving the cafe. But being alone with him in the summer night air wasn't how Lucy wanted this to go. Too afraid that she might say or do something she might later regret. Natsu was just as handsome now as he was all those years ago and knowing that Lucy knew her heart was in some serious danger. He finally noticed she hadn't said a word and decided to speak first  
"hey luce care if i walk you home?", Lucy not being able to speak without her voice trembling she gave a curt nod and fell into step with the pink haired man. Natsu always being oblivious to others discomfort began to ask Lucy what she had been up to these last few years. Lucy told him about losing her job but leaving out the part about her pervy boss since she knew how Natsu would react. She asked about his life after leaving for university in Hargeon and he told her he had loved the city but had decided to move back 5 years ago to be closer to Wendy. Since he was the only family she had left beside their cousin Gajeel who had taken care of Wendy while Natsu was away for university and then work. Natsu had started working at the local high school teaching chemistry which he really enjoyed since he could blow things up on occasion. Lucy loved how his eyes sparkled while telling her about his students and about how proud he was of his sister Wendy for doing so awesome in med school, he even admitted to giving Romeo a hard time before Romeo worked up the courage to propose to her. When they finally reached Levy's apartment they both became quiet and didn't know what to do, until finally Lucy said "thanks for walking me home Natsu, guess I will see you around", just as she turned to head up the stairs she felt a hand grab her wrist softly she looked up to see Natsu staring at her so deeply she wanted to run away. Natsu finally asked " hey Luce do you ever think about us anymore?" this shocked the blonde who after what felt like forever finally replied " no i don't" and took her wrist out of Natsu's grip and walked quickly up the stairs and closed the door. Lucy heard footsteps come up the stairs after her and could hear Natsu outside the door seeming like he was deciding if he should knock or not. Lucy slid down the door to sit in front of it and waited for him to do something, after a few moments he finally decided against knocking and she heard his retreating footstep go out of the building. Lucy's heart was beating so hard that she positive he could have heard it from the other side of the door. Finally Lucy stood and went to her room to change and get into bed, her sleep finally came but all she could dream about that night was Natsu.

The next morning after Lucy awoke she sent Levy a quick text saying she was getting ready and then going out to put in resumes around town. Lucy quickly dressed and went down the stairs to the cafe to grab a coffee before heading out for the day. Wendy was working and made Lucy a coffee and handing the blonde her favorite chocolate croissant and refused to take Lucy's money saying Levy told the staff that whatever Lucy wanted was on the house. Lucy smiled and left a good tip for the blue haired woman before waving goodbye and walking out to look for work. After a few stops in local businesses had Lucy feeling a little discouraged since she wasn't qualified or places weren't hiring. Finally Lucy decided to try the local paper since she was a journalism major and had worked for the paper in Crocus. Luckily the editor in chief Jason remember Lucy and agreed to give her a job right away, she was going to start the following monday as the newest staff member for Magnolia's Sorcerer Weekly Magazine. Now feeling more at ease with her situation Lucy texted Erza and Levy inviting them to lunch. They agreed to meet up at 1 at a local bistro on the docks. Lucy headed toward the restaurant and got a table on the deck while she waited for her two friends to arrive. About 10 minutes later Levy and Erza arrived with Cana following close behind, and Erza told the women about her working on a case with Cana and decided to invite to brunette along. Erza worked at the local law office in town while her husband Jellal was a cop. Cana worked for Jellal as an undercover officer and was currently working to bust a sex trafficking ring that was said to be smuggling victims in from Bosco. Lucy couldn't believe that her wild friend from childhood Cana Alberona turned from a wild party girl into a kickass police woman. It made Lucy so proud.Cana still was quiet the drinker but she had to keep a pretty clear head for her line of work and now only drank while off duty. The 4 woman talked about their lives and learned that Cana was currently dating a local winery owner names Bacchus and her father Gildarts was off on another tour of duty in the middle east. Erza told the girls about her and Jellal had started fostering a set of siblings a few months back ,a boy named Simon and a girl named Kagura and were looking to start the adoption process since they had fallen completely in love with them. And Levy told them about her thinking of opening another bookstore in another part of town since the local library had closed she wanted to give the people a chance to still have access to good books and even talked of doing a lending program for the children of Magnolia, which all the woman thought was a amazing idea. When it was finally Lucys turn to share she told them about her getting a job for the local magazine and about her run-in with Natsu the night before. The 3 other women sat silently just staring at Lucy until she finally asked what was wrong. Erza spoke first saying " Lucy I don't know how to tell you this and I'm sure Natsu doesn't want me to but he has been waiting for you all this time" to which Cana laughed saying "that boy has never not been hung up on you" , Levy shifted awkwardly in her seat until finally saying " Lu he has been asking about you since he moved back always wanted to know if I had heard from you until finally I told him you were dating Dan, he stopped asking after that". Lucy was stunned had he really been keeping tabs on her all this time? 

Lucy and Levy got into levys vehicle and headed back to the bookstore. After a few minutes of silence Levy finally spoke " I'm really sorry Lu I should of told you about Natsu before but I just couldn't since you seemed like anytime even hearing his name hurt you" " Its okay Levy I'm fine" after driving a little more Levy's face seemed to turn green and she quickly pulled the car to the side of the street and threw open the door and preceded to puke up her lunch. Lucy was rubbing her poor sick friends back and holding back her hair until Levy finally sat back up and cleaned her mouth with a old takeout napkin. Lucy asked "Levy are you okay do you have the flu or something" to which Levy turned white as a sheet before asking Lucy the date, "its the 24th why? you forget something?" to which Levy said " oh shit this can't be happening, uh Lucy do you mind if i drop you off real quick I've got somewhere to be" "of course Levy I guess I will see you later tonight,hope you feel better and let me know if you need anything I can run to the store if you need." The blue hair woman seemed to be in her own little world until she pulled up in front of the bookstore and waved goodbye to Lucy and went on her way. "Huh wondered whats up with her hopefully its not food poisoning or something". Lucy went into the bookstore and went behind the counter to help Wendy with the late afternoon rush. Wendy was thankful for the help and the two spent the next few hours making orders and gossiping until Romeo show up to pick up Wendy after her shift. After talking to the couple for a few minutes Wendy invited Lucy over for dinner that evening which Lucy happily agreed to. Agreeing to see them for dinner at Wendys at 7, Lucy headed to her apartment to relax and write in her novel before dinner. Levy came back home around 5:30 and looked like she was in shock. "Levy are you okay?" and after shaking her head to clear it Levy replied " Lu I went to the doctor and I'm...." and " your what Levy..sick duh i could see that by all the puke on the sidewalk earlier" Lucy gave a laugh but Levy was not laughing along " No Lu I'm pregnant, how am I gonna tell Gajeel? Do you think he is gonna be mad? God what 28 year old gets pregnant on accident, shit what is my mum gonna say". "Levy thats amazing I'm so happy for you, and I'm pretty sure Gajeel is gonna be over the moon with happiness he already worships the ground you walk on this is just another step in your relationship. And so what your an adult your mom can't say shit plus you barely speak anyways". "Omg Lu I'm pregnant I need to call Gajeel right away, sorry can I talk to you after:" " of course take your time Levy", and Levy went to her own room to call Gajeel over. About 10 minutes later Gajeel came sprinting into the apartment calling for Levy "Hey Lucy where is she?" " In her room go on back". Lucy sat in the dining room until she heard Levy squeal in delight and a loud thump coming from her friends room, a minute later she heard Levy "Uh Lu can you come here for a second", Lucy walked into her friends room to see a passed out Gajeel laying on the floor " hell Levy did you kill him" " of course not all I did was say Gajeel honey I'm pregnant and the idiot passed out", Lucy had to laugh just seeing to 200 lb man who was just full of muscle and bad ass biker mechanic laying on the plush rug on her best friends floor was hilarious. After a few minutes Gajeel finally sat up looking around with a confused look on his face until it looked like he remembered what had happened moments earlier, He just up and grabbed Levy in a big hug laughing and kissing his little blue haired girlfriend. Levy looked at him asking "so you are happy about this? cus a few minutes ago you looked ready to die" Gajeel laughed "Hell yeah Im happy about this Levy this is a dream come true" and then he looked at Lucy " uh lucy Im gonna need the apartment for a few hours think you can buzz off for a bit, need to show my woman how happy I am" to which Lucy mocked gagged " gross Gajeel information overshare but yeah I have plans anyways, I'm super happy for you guys, and remember Lucy is a great baby name" as she winked at the large man and left the room. She was barely out of the room when the loud sounds of lovemaking could be heard from the hallway. Lucy was mortified and quickily grabbed her purse and headed out the door. She didn't think she could stomach if she had to hear her friends moans and Gajeel saying Levys name. Don't get her wrong she was truly happy for them but no way in hell she was sticking around to listen to that. Lucy gave a shudder and left the apartment. Lucky for her she really did have plans for the evening and she started the few block walk to Wendys place. 

It took Lucy about 5 minutes to remember that Wendy and Natsu lived together. "well shit guess I'm seeing him a lot quicker then planned" as she rung the doorbell to the old victorian house that she had so many memories. Wendy opened the door and let Lucy inside and Lucy followed her to the kitchen while Wendy finished up dinner. "Hope you like spaghetti Lucy, I'm using my moms tomato sauce recipe and Romeo is bring the garlic bread from the bakery he works at and I made a cheesecake for dessert so hopefully you are starving since us Dragneels don't know how to make small portions" she said with a wink at the blonde. Lucy told her " oh I remember pretty sure I've never left this house hungry ever, you are using Grandeenys recipe that amazing she always made the best food.". Lucy thought back to her younger years when the Dragneel parents where still alive and remembered just how much love this house use to hold, Natsu and Wendys parents had been the sweetest people Lucy had every known, the first time meeting Igneel and Grandeeny had opened Lucy's eyes to how a family was suppose to be. Lucy herself had lost her mother Layla when she was a child and her father Jude had been so obsessed with his business that Lucy use to wonder if he even remembered her existence at all. Lucy had been so lonely until she had been practially adopted by the Dragneel clan when she became friends with Natsu after her family moved to Magnolia in the 3rd grade. The Dragneels had treated Lucy and all of their childrens friends like family since the first time they met them. Lucy can still remember being at Natsu's house with all their friends the night the police came to tell them that Igneel and Grandeeny having the accident that eventually took their lives. The whole town was devasted, And with Natsu being only 16 at the time he had to fight to keep Wendy from being put into foster care. Luckily Cana's father Gildarts had volunteered himself as guardian for the two children and Gildarts and Cana eventually moved into the Dragneel home to raise the two orphaned children, there is a 3rd Dragneel child but no one had seen Zeref Dragneel since he ran away in his early teens and no one had been able to track him down since. Him being of age to take in his younger siblings would of been a godsend to the now orphaned kids, hell no one even knew if Zeref knew of his parents death but after 15 years of no contact everyone kind of gave up. After Natsu turned 18 he became Wendy's legal guardian and took the role seriously. He tended to spoil his younger sister and was very protective of her which Lucy always found adorable. Lucy use to babysit Wendy on the nights Natsu worked at the grocery store and Gildarts and Cana still came by to help out with the everyday running of the house. Luckily the Dragneels had set aside money for their childrens future and the home was paid off with the money left from the closing of Familys medical practice so the two young Dragneels really had no real problems there. 

Wendy asked Lucy if she minded setting up the dinner table to which Lucy happily obliged. Lucy felt something brush against her leg and looked down to see the russian blue family cat Happy who belonged to Natsu and Wendys cat the khoa manee named Carla. Both cats had only been kittens the last time Lucy had seen them and crouched down to pet both sweet cats. Lucy had always wanted a cat of her own but with her fathers allergy she wasn't able. After she had the table all set she walked back to the kitchen to see Natsu leaning against the kitchen counter speaking to his younger sister. He turned his head to look at the blonde and smiled while reaching down to pick up Happy. "Hey Luce good to see you again I was just asking Wendy whats the occasion since she is making moms pasta sauce, Happy seems glad to see you, he did always like having you around since you would spoil him with all that fish you would bring him" and Natsu seemed to laugh at the memory. Romeo walked in to the kitchen a moment later and after putting the fresh garlic bread on the counter gave Wendy a sweet kiss on the cheek while she started plating everyones dinner. Natsu rolled his eyes at the sweet display of affection shown toward his younger sister saying "God you two its like you wanna get married or something" he continued to laugh at his own joke all the way to the dining room table while everyone else followed with plates of food and Natsu started pouring everyone some wine to enjoy with their meal. Everyone began eating the delicious meal all having 2nd and for Natsu and Romeo third and forth helping. The wine tasted perfect and went down smoothly. After eveyone had finished their meal Wendy went to the kitchen and brought out the famous Dragneel Turtle Cheesecake. Everyone took a piece and had another glass of wine. Romeo started talking to everyone about his boss offering to sale him the bakery if he was interested in which Romeo for sure was, He had graduated from culinary school 2 years ago and was famous for his wedding cakes, people had to be put on a waiting list to even have a chance to get one for their wedding. Wendy of course was the most supportive of her fiance and told him he should do it, He smiled brightly at her and told her he would talk to the bank the next day. Wendy told everyone about her passing her final exam with the highest score in her class and about her internship starting in the next few weeks at the local hospital. Lucy asked her what she was looking to specialize in and Wendy had decided to work in the maternity ward having always loved babies. Lucy looked over to see Natsu's face just beaming with pride over Wendy and Romeo's success like a proud father which made Lucys stomach flip. Lucy told everyone about her getting at job at sorcerers weekly when her phone rang so she excused herself, the call was from her new boss Jason. "Hey Lucy,its Jason so we just had our model for a photoshoot on monday back out do you think you could fill in? On your resume its says you modeled some in university and we will pay you $800 for the day, you interested?" Lucy squealed " of course I would love to, yeah just send me the location and I will see you monday morning, thanks for thinking of me Jason,bye". She hung up and returned to the dining room, Natsu said " sounds like a good phone call something good happen?" " Oh yeah that was my boss our model dropped out last minute and he asked if i was interested in modeling for the magazine, $800 for a few photos isnt too bad since i need the money anyways", Wendy congratulated Lucy and so did Romeo but when Lucy looked at the head of the table Natsu had an upset look on his face but didnt say anymore about it. The rest on the evening was full of endless small talk until Lucy looked at the clock and seen it was getting close to 11. She thanked Wendy and Natsu for dinner and said her goodbyes, she was almost to the front door when Natsu came up behind her and offered to give her a ride home since it was late. Wendy looked at Lucy expectently and Lucy reluctantly agreed. So here she was stuck in Natsu's red Jeep on a awkward car ride home.

Neither spoke for the first few minutes and it was starting to feel like the longest car ride in history until Lucy finally asked Natsu if something was wrong? At first Natsu said nothing but eventually he responded " I just don't understand your boss asking you to model, your a writer not a model.." Lucy looked at the pink hair man and responded "Its not that weird of a request since I did model some in college and it was on my resume, I even modeled some at my old job until my boss started being gross and I quit", realizing what she had just said Lucy clamped a hand over her mouth and slowly turned to look at Natsu who was now holding the steering wheel in a death grip. Lucy could feel the anger rolling off him, Natsu slowly turned his head toward her and finally spoke " your old boss did what? did you tell human resources? tell the police, Fucking hell Lucy whats this guys names I can have Erza send him a nice little court order and I can go kick his ass for you, the stupid fucker" and this is exactly why she should of just kept her big mouth shut. Natsu always was quick to anger when females were involved and had in the past been in quiet of few fights defending his friends girlfriend and sisters. Hell Laxus, Gray, Jellal, Gajeel, and Natsu almost went to jail in high school after a guy from rival school tried to drug Lucy's drink at a bonfire party. Luckily Lucy's twin cousins Sting and Rogue called the cops on Bora before Natsu killed him. Looking back now Lucy never did see Bora around town after that, coward prolly took Stings advice and made himself scarce before Natsu found him again. Gildarts was pretty proud of the boys back then and even talked to the cops for them to keep them out of trouble. Lucy had never seen the guys so mad as they were that night. Erza, Juvia, Mira, Levy, and Lucy all swore to never see anyone from Bosco High School again after that. When Makarov heard about it all of Fairy Tail celebrated the boys protecting the girls. They got a reserved booth after that which at 15-16 years old made them feel pretty damn special. Having to explain it to her dad later hadn't been as easy. He was furious too scared it would taint the Heartfelia reputation and never once asked if Lucy was okay. That was the turning point for Lucy after that she moved out of the Heartfelia Manor and moved into an apartment with Juvia while working at Fairy tail waitressing and going to high school full time. Lucy never will forget when her father showed up at school the next week to pull Lucy out of class, instead of being there to say sorry to his only daughter, he was their to tell Lucy he was taking her out of school permanently after learning that the boy who tried to drug her was a wealthy heir from Bosco, he had arranged for Lucy to be sent to Bosco and enroll in Bosco High a posh private school for the countries most elite families and she would be betrothed to Bora as soon a she came of age. Since his family owned a large shipping company and her father wanted to merge with them. Lucy could barely react to her father before Natsu came flying into the hallway grabbing Lucy by the hand and starting running as fast as he could off the way to his house. He told his parent about what happened and Igneel got Gildarts on the phone and then both men went and talked to Jude Heartfelia, a few hours later they came back to the Dragneel home with signed paperwork giving Lucy legal status as an adult. She would never have to do what her father wanted ever again. Jude Heartfelia left town not soon after and set up his business in Crocus. After that Natsu was always by her side, the two friends had always been close but that was the moment Natsu stuck to Lucy like glue, never really letting her get too far away from him. They started dating not long after and spent all their time together and after Natsu's parents died they became even more attached. The anger coming off of 28 year old Natsu reminded Lucy a lot of the same anger from 15-year-old Natsu's past. When they finally pulled up in front of Lucy's apartment they both sat quietly until Natsu finally spoke "I'm sorry Lucy, I shouldn't have reacted like that I know you don't need me protecting you anymore, I still just worry is all okay please don't be mad at me, Can we still be friends?" this shocked Lucy growing up Natsu was not someone who apologized easily it was actually something that annoyed her when they dated before but now he was saying sorry so easily. "Its okay Natsu I know you mean well, and of course we are friends we always have been". After hearing this Natsu got out of the jeep and walked around the vehicle to open Lucys door for her, He walked Lucy to her front door and both stood awkwardly waiting for the other to do or say something. Until Lucy decided to give Natsu a hug good night, Natsu wrapped his arms tightly around Lucys waist and time seemed to stop. It was just the two of them under the street lights while the air smelled of cherry blossoms and the sea. Natsu nuzzled his face into Lucys hair and she heard him mumble something but couldn't hear what he said. He finally took a step back and waved a quick bye and went back to his Jeep and left. Leaving a confused Lucy standing under the streetlight, she eventually went up to her apartment where Levy was waiting with a bowl of popcorn and a chick flick on netflix. Levy had a guilty look on her face and was trying to act innocent. Levy said " so Lu how was your night? anything exciting happen?" " you know what levy something exciting did happen" to which Levys whole face light up " Oh really Lu tell me" "just my boss is paying me 800 bucks to model for the magazine pretty awesome right?" Levy looked annoyed " you know damn well thats not what I meant Lucy" "oh you mean with Natsu? well im pretty sure you would of seen if anything happened since you were watching from the window the whole time nosy lady". Levy just laughed and handed Lucy the bowl of popcorn saying " come on Lu you know your love story is better then anything netflix has to offer" Lucy rolled her eyes " Levy I don't have a love story let alone a romance sorry to disappoint, anyways how did things with Gajeel go Im mean after the sex, which i prefer not to hear about". "oh things went great Gajeel is excited and wants to start looking for a house for us, so you might have the apartment all to yourself soon enough" "thats awesome Levy Im so happy for you guys and I cant wait to spoil this kid when they arrive, oh i was thinking should we maybe do something for Erza and Jellal since they are adopting their foster kids, you know not a babyshower since the kids are older but you know maybe a bbq and give them some gifts and stuff. Im sure they could use some more stuff for them." "oh lucy thats a great idea Im sure they would appreciate it, I will talk to Cana, Mira, Lisanna, and Juvia about it tomorrow. Make it a surprise", "Great idea Levy, here lets watch this movie and head to bed". They found Love Rosie on netflix ate popcorn and had a good cry and when it was finished headed to their room for the night saying good night before shutting their doors. Lucy could hear Levy on the phone with Gajeel and had started to doze off when her phone went off, turning her head to grab it she read the text from Gray  
-Hey Lucy wanna do brunch tomorrow? Juvia has to work a shift at the hospital so won't be able to join but she suggested I take you out, She must know I need some time with my little sister :} .  
Lucy replied right away -Of course lets met around 12 at Magnolia park, I see many a mimosa in my future,tell Juvia thanks for this I've missed my big brother:}  
After replying Lucy fell asleep almost instantly but for another night her dreams were filled with Natsu.

Lucy found Gray standing under the rainbow sakura tree in the center of Magnolia park which was the usual meeting spot for the two friends. Gray was dressed in his usual casual style with his button-up shirt pretty much undone to his navel, His silver necklace was shining in the sunlight, his black hair was spiked and messy as usual. Gray had always been such a good looking guy and he didn't really have to try that hard. The two friends had always been close and even tried dating in their middle school years until they both realized they felt like siblings instead of boyfriend/girlfriend. Lucy had introduced Juvia to Gray after meeting her in cheer camp their freshman year. Juvia had just moved to Magnolia from France and had fallen for Gray at first sight. She continued to stalk him till he finally told her his feeling in university and they had been together ever since. Juvia was a truly great person and had become a physical therapist at the local hospital specializing in water therapy after graduating college. Lucy and Juvia became very close after becoming roommates in high school and Juvia had accepted Lucy and Grays sibling relationship eventually and now the 3 were the best of friends. Sadly since Lucy moved away they only kept in contact through text and email. As Gray and Lucy walked to their favorite brunch spot the two friends talked about life and Grays latest commission, Gray being an artist and a famous one at that was a pride of Magnolia, everyone wanted to own one of his artworks, Lucky for Lucy anytime she seen something she liked of his he offered to paint something for her. Still his most famous stuff were his ice sculptors, they were truly a thing of beauty. Gray and his adopted brother Lyon had both been raised by Ur who taught both boys everything she knew about art, Even their older sister Ultear was an artist . All 3 were successful in their own way but it was Gray who excelled the most. Gray told Lucy about his next art gallery opening and about going on a trip with Juvia to visit her family in France, Gray said he was going to propose when they met her family. Lucy was so excited for her dear friend. Gray asked about Lucys life in Crocus and Lucy told him about her Ex-Dan Straight cheating on her and her finally dumping him. Gray had never been a big fan of Dan and had always tried to get Lucy to dump him and come home but Lucy was just too stubborn. Lucy told Gray about spending time with Wendy and Natsu the night before and about Natsu's weird mumbling at the end of the hug. Gray kept his thoughts to himself on that and the two finally arrived at the cafe. After ordering Creme brule french toast and bananas foster french toast both getting black coffee from the server, Gray finally decided to ask Lucy what he had been wanting to ask her the whole walk there. "Uh Lucy I was just wondering...do you still have feeling for Natsu?" a little shocked by the question Lucy just sat there for a bit until she finally replied softly "I never stopped". Gray watched his dear friend hang her head and look on the verge of tears. " Its okay Lucy dont cry, I wont say anything to him I swear". "Thanks Gray I know he is your best friend, dont even try to deny he is, we all know that you guys just fight to look tough" which made Gray laughed " Can't wait to tell flamebrain we've been found out, everyone always said he was fire and I was ice was why we never got along but deep down he is my dumbass best friend" which made Lucy laugh " Gray that was almost sweet for a minute until you had to call him a dumbass" she said wiping a few tears away. Gray watched her with concern on his face " you know Lucy, Juvia and I are always here for you and nothing is gonna change that. I just don't understand why you and flamebrain are putting yourselves through all this, I'm mean its been ten years and you both are still crazy for each other, Hell I dont think Natsu has even dated since you guys broke up. You both need to put the pride aside and just talk about it. I had to do that for Juvia and look at us now. Oh by the way wanna come with me after to pick out her engagement ring?" . Lucy nodded with tears shining in her eyes. Their meals finally came and they ate in silence the rest of the time. When they finished they walked to Jewelry Store which was owned by Lisanna Strauss, even though she did work at Fairy tail at night if Mirajane needed help. Lisanna was so happy to see the two friends and gave both big hugs before asking what was the meaning of the visit. She showed Gray a big selection of rings that she knew Juvia would love and Lucy helped Gray decide on a blue sapphire in a platinum band that they all knew Juvia would go crazy for. After paying and sending the ring to be sized they said their goodbye to Lisanna and heading toward Grays house as Juvia would be home when they got there. Gray swore Lucy to not tell Juvia about the ring. As they walked up the front steps of Grays dark blue house Juvia swung open the door and ran to give Lucy a hug "Juvia has missed Lucy so much, Oh Gray dont think Juvia hasnt missed you as well" which made them both laugh "of course Babe I know you always miss me" and Gray gave Juvia a sweet kiss and Lucy just smiled at the sweet couple. If anyone deserved happiness its these two, they had both been through so much and Lucy was so happy they found each other. Lucy stayed for a cup of tea before saying her goodbyes to the couple. After she left Juvia spoke " Gray did you talked to Lucy like you planned? Juvia is worried", "Yeah I did and you were right, those idiots are still crazy for each other". "Juvia thinks Gray should talk to Natsu" "I agree I will call him right now". Gray dialed Natsu's number and when he answered said "Hey flamebrain come over to my place I got something to talk to you about" Natsu was worried since Gray never called him unless it was important "Okay Ice Princess I will see you in 10minutes" both men hung up and thought about what they were gonna say when the time came.

Natsu pulled his Jeep into Grays driveway behind Grays black Truck. He had been worrying the whole way here what Gray could possible want to say to him. Natsu seen Gray on the porch waiting for him and slowly walked toward his old rival/best friend. "hey ice cube whats this all about?"  
Gray shook his head and had Natsu follow him into the house and into Grays studio. The room smelled of wet paint and canvas and was oddly comforting to him. Gray sat a his work desk and Natsu pulled up a stool across from him. "So whats up kinda dying over here" "Ash head I'm gonna ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me okay?" now this was making Natsu super nervous " Uh sure man whats up"  
Gray looked at his friend of the past 20 years gauging his every reaction " Are you still in love with Lucy?". Natsu froze, what kind of question is that just completely out of the blue. Gray already knew how hard the breakup had been on Natsu in high school, hell he had called Gray crying more then he wants to admit begging him to help him get Lucy back. Natsu finally looked at his feet and said "you already know the answer to that Ice princess". "What the hell man you told me you were over her after university, and you didn't act upset when you found out she was dating that loser Dan. Why didn't you tell me the truth?" Natsu rolled his eyes "and what good would that of done? I couldn't just admit that I'm still pathetically in love with Lucy after 10 years. I couldn't just say hearing she was dating again made my heart ripe apart or that I wanted her back more then anything in the whole world. I look dumb enough already and I know she doesn't want me." Gray was shocked and just stared at his friend who now had tears running down his face. "Lucy doesn't want me in her life man, I mean she has been avoiding me all this time not even coming to town just to avoid seeing me, she hates me and I don't even blame her." Gray was blown away by all of this. "Natsu you couldn't be more wrong, dude you have to talk to her." "And how am I gonna get her to do that ice dick? She barely speaks to me as is and that will just scare her away even more." "Natsu you have to talk to her, you two are both so proud and you have to let some of that go. Look our reunion is tomorrow night, why don't you ask her to talk then?" Natsu finally shook his head and agreed " fine man but if this blows up in my face you have to pay for my tab at fairy tail and its not gonna be pretty." To which Gray laughed " couldn't be worse then when we bet Jellal he was too pussy to propose to Erza and she agreed before he got the sentence out of his mouth and we had to pay the whole bars tab for the night, ugh my credit card had never been so abused." Both friends laughed and talked a bit more before saying their goodbye. Natsu headed to his jeep and rode home with alot to think about.

Wendy was waiting up for Natsu when he got home. Seeing the upset look on her brothers face she was worried and knew what she had to tell him was going to make his mood better. Wendy had come home from work to a dark haired man standing in their driveway with a short long hair blonde and small boy waiting for her. Wendy could swear she had seen the man before but just couldn't place it. Finally after leaving her car she went up to the couple and asked if she could help them. The mans eyes went wide and his expression almost looked like he was on the verge of tears. He managed to work up the courage to introduce himself. Clearing his throat he stuck out his hand and said " Hello my name is Zeref Dragneel and I think I might be your older brother". Wendy was shocked, she had little to no memory of her eldest brother since he had left home when she was very young. "Um hi I'm Wendy and I think you are my older brother". The man started to cry "I'm so happy to see you again Wendy, oh let me introduce you to my family, This is my wife Mavis and this is our son August. We just moved back to town as we both got hired at the local hospital and wanted to come greet the family." Wendy couldn't believe her older brother was here , they had searched for his everywhere the past 15 years and couldnt find a trace of him and now he is here right in front of her and he brought his adorable family. Wendy couldn't hold herself back anymore she hugged her brother tightly and softly cried into his shoulder. "I'm so happy to see you Zeref, We have missed you so much and now your back with your beautiful family. Its just overwhelming." Mavis was busy taking photos of the happy reunion and then she asked " where is Natsu? Zeref said he was the middle child and Im excited to see that pink hair". Wendy knew she loved this Mavis already, she seemed a perfect fit for the Dragneel family. Wendy looked down at the small fair haired boy hiding behind his mothers back, Wendy crouched down and said " Hello August I'm your auntie Wendy, do you happen to like kitties?" to which August nodded excitedly "oh good because I've got two sweet kitties inside who I'm sure would love to play with you, would you like to meet them?" August yelled "yes please" and took off for the front door. As his parents and Wendy laughed. After settling August in the Happy and Carla, Wendy made tea for the adults. Zeref was looking around the house and Mavis was patiently waiting for her cup of tea. Mavis asked "so Wendy what do you and Natsu do?" Wendy smiled and replied "I'm starting an internship in the hospital next week in the maternity wing and Natsu works as a chemistry teacher at the local high school, How bout you and Zeref?" Mavis giggled " I'm actually taking a job as head of the maternity floor and Zeref is a surgeon, we have been trying to come back to his hometown since August was born but its been a long go, we bought a house a few houses down from your home actually. Zeref has missed his hometown and his siblings these past few years. Zeref was so worried you and Natsu wouldn't want to speak to him he has been putting off our visit until I had enough and dragged him here. " Wendy loved this woman. "How old is August?" "He turns 3 on Halloween". "what is his full name? and where did you and Zeref meet?" "its August Igneel Yuri Dragneel, named after the month we met, your father,and my brother." " Zeref and I met in University he was an intern in the hospital I was admitted to, see I havent had the best health and he was my surgeon for my heart transplant and after that I was in love." "Oh Mavis that is so romantic" "Zeref calls it my fairy heart, romantic your brother is" . Wendy looked at Zeref " Brother why did you disappear? We tried to find you when our parents died but couldn't find a trace of you". Zeref looked at his sister with a sad expression " Im so sorry I wasn't here for you and Natsu during that but it was safer that I was far away from you. Our parents found out I had joined a gang before I ran away, they made me promise I would leave but it was harder then I thought it would be, when I tried to leave the gang they threatened our family unless I left Magnolia for good so I did just that. I wanted to protect you all but in the end our parent died anyways. And I was too ashamed to come back after that scared that you and Natsu would hate me. I'm really sorry Wendy" "its alright Zeref I forgive you, just no more disappearing again okay, we are a family again and we need each other." The siblings hugged again until Zeref asked about Natsu "oh he will be home soon he texted not to long ago that he was stopping by Gray Fullbusters before coming home" this made Zeref laugh "those two always the best of friends even if they dont want to admit it". Wendy asked Zeref and Mavis if they would mind staying the night since there was plenty of room in the big house because she was sure Natsu would want to see them as soon as he got home, and an hour after Mavis put August to bed Natsu came through the door.  
Natsu seen his little sister first thing gave her a hug and asked why was there a dark SUV in the driveway to this someone cleared their throat behind him, Natsu swung around to see a face he could never forget. It was the face of his older brother Zeref. "That would be my vehicle little brother sorry if i parked in your spot", Natsu was in shock but ran to his brother for a bear hug "What the hell Zeref when did you get here? and who is the babe?" "We got back a few days ago we had been living in Alverez and decided we would like our son to grow up around family. Natsu let me introduce you to my wife Mavis Vermillion. Our son August is upstair asleep already but you can see him first thing in the morning." " well I'll be damned nice to meet you Mavis and welcome to the family. Can't believe you agreed to marry this ugly guy, im kidding of course give me a hug" which Mavis did enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you as well Natsu I've heard so much about you both and wow your hair really is pink" to which all 3 Dragneels replied "its salmon" causing everyone to laugh. They all talked for a few hours until finally everyone was too tired to say anything else. Wendy set up their parents old room for Zeref and Mavis while August was sound asleep in his fathers old room. All said their goodnights and went to bed.  
Early the next morning Natsu was woken up to the sound of his door creaking open, he opened one eye and see a flash of blonde hair come running into his room and felt a small body jump on his bed. He finally opened both eyes to see a smiling little boy with spikey blonde hair and the same dark green eyes he had smiling at him. "Uncle Natsu wake up and play with me" all Natsu could do was stare in awe at this miniature version of his brother looking just like Zeref if not for the blonde hair. "Alright little buddy let go play" which made August squeal in delight. Just as Natsu was leaving his room he heard his phone buzz "Just wait one second August Uncle needs to grab his phone" August waited patiently for him. Natsu looked who the text was from. "LUCY" hmmm why would Lucy be texting him so early shrugging he opened the message which said  
-Natsu can we talk tonight at the reunion just the 2 of us?  
He replied - Of course Luce C U then  
His heart was beating so quickly he knew he was panicking. But he calmed himself down enough to pick up his nephew and go down to the kitchen for breakfast. Wendy and Mavis had made an amazing meal of pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast and hashbrowns which the Dragneel men ate with vigor. Romeo had arrived shortly after to join the family and meet Wendys brother for the first time. Zeref was very impressed by his little sisters fiance and was happy to welcome him into the family. The Dragneel house felt almost complete and only Natsu knew who could do that. After breakfast the sibling talked about plans for the day where Natsu informed them his evening was busy with his high school reunion going on. So Zeref and Wendy decided they would do dinner at Zeref and Mavis' house that night. The family stayed and visited until Natsu had to start getting ready for his event. They said their goodbyes and promised to meet up for brunch the next day. Natsu dressed in a black suit with red shirt and fixed his unruly hair and sprayed a bit of the cologne that he knew Lucy liked and got in his Jeep and headed to the marina for the reunion.

Lucy Heartfelia was a nervous wreck. She couldn't believe she had texted Natsu about wanting to talk that night. Ugh what was she thinking. Levy knocked on Lucy's bedroom door, "Hey Lu you almost ready? Gajeel is gonna be here soon." "Uh yeah just give me 5 more minutes". Lucy was dressed in a nice red dress that showed off her curves and had curled her hair into loose waves, her makeup was subtle and she sprayed her favorite perfume on before slipping on a pair of black heels and taking one last look at herself left the room. Levy was waiting in the living room, she had decided to wear a light yellow dress and had also curled her short blue hair into an adorable style. Gajeel showed up right away and the 3 drove to the marina in Gajeels matte black SUV. The whole outside of the building the reunion was taking place was decorated in the school colors and there was a crowd of people waiting outside gossiping before heading inside. They all got out of Gajeels vehicle and heading toward the crowd. Cana saw them first and yelled "About damn time slowpokes" while Mirajane and her sibling and spouses waved at the friends. Usually reunions are held by graduation date but that wasn't how Magnolia high did it, nope all grads were allowed to join in the fun which made for a bigger party. People started heading into the building to find tables to sit or getting drinks from the bar. Lucy was feeling a bit overwhelmed since she hadn't seen most of these people in 10 years or more since some of the upperclassman had moved away as well. Having said hello and giving hugs to so many people was a bit much. After what felt like ages Lucy finally made it to her table where Levy and Gajeel were just announcing they were pregnant, Which caused the whole table to cheer which led to more cheers from other tables as well. Makarov even made a formal announcement to the whole building causing more cheers and congratulations. Gajeel and Levy were so happy with all the love and support . Lucy decided to ask Erza and Jellal about throwing them a Adoption party which brought tears to the couples eyes, Jellal thanked his friends for being so supportive and Erza just kept wiping her eyes and saying thank you over and over. Lucy was so happy that all of her friends were doing so well. Even Cana announced that her and Bacchus were moving in together which knowing Cana was a big deal since she had never had a steady relationship let alone a guy move in, Lucy was sure Gildarts was overjoyed prolly already planning for grandchildren in the near future. Evergreen and Elfman told everyone that Elfman was retiring from the Marines and moving to Magnolia permanently, and this was followed by Lisanna and Bickslow telling everyone they were dating. Freed had told everyone about the man he had recently started seeing who was named Rufus and lived in Crocus, Lucy actually knew him and wasn't surprised at all that he was Freeds type both were very flamboyant men. Juvia and Gray told everyone about their upcoming trip back to see Juvia's family in France which caused many people to start teasing Gray about popping the question soon. Alzack and Bisca showed off pictures of their daughter Asuka who was adorable. Finally Natsu showed up causing everyone to start watching what was going on between him and Lucy. Both tried to act natural but couldn't tell if it was actually working.After a while people started to go dance and grabbing more drinks. Natsu decided to ask Lucy to dance and she agreed. The song seemed to go by too quickly to both of their disappointment. Luckily another slow song came on after so the couple continued to dance. Softly swaying to the sound of Edwin McCains "I'll be" . Natsu loved the feel of Lucy so close to him and Lucy was enjoying how warm his body felt again hers. Finally Natsu whispered in her ear "hey luce think we can slip outside to talk now?". Lucy nodded her head and followed behind Natsu to the back deck. Hopefully this conversation went better then either person hoped. 

The night air coming off the sea made Lucy shiver which Natsu notices and shrugged of his suit jacket and place it around Lucy's shoulders. " Thanks Natsu" , "No problem Luce you know I always am too warm, so what did you want to talk about?" Lucy's face blushed and she waited a few minutes before talking. Natsu just looked at her with the green eyes watching her every movement in anticipation, secretly praying that whatever this beautiful blonde had to say wasn't going to break his already fragile heart. "Um Natsu I want to apologize to you for something I did the other night, I lied to you and I'm really sorry about it." " oh you lied? what did you lie about, im certain its not that big of a deal right?" Lucy started to get more nervous then she thought possible "Ugh I lied when you asked me if I ever thought about us, it was a dumb lie and I've been regretting it since, I do...I do think about us, more than i like to admit I do. " "Lucy you don't need to apologize I did kind of put you on the spot asking you that and you don't have to say that just to make me feel better, really luce." Lucy slowly stepped closer to the man standing too far from her in her opinion. " Natsu I'm not saying this to make myself feel better, I do think about us, about you almost every single day, hell I even dream about you most nights, As much as it hurts me to say this....Natsu I still love you." Natsu looked up for the first time since she started to speak, completely shocked by what she just said. No way could she mean that, after all these years could she still love him. She was the one who ended things back then , she was the one who ran away to Crocus and never tried to speak to him. Natsu could feel himself getting angry. Finally he spoke "damnit Lucy why are you standing here saying these things that you don't actually mean, thats too cruel." Lucy gave out an annoyed breath "listen here you flamebrained idiot I'm not lying to you, I do still love you and I never stopped. I broke up with you at graduation because I was scared I was holding you back. You already had so much going on in your life and I didn't want to add more stress, you were already caring for Wendy full time and when you got your acceptance letter from Hargeon I was afraid you wouldn't go since I didn't get in. I didn't want to ruin your life, so I broke up with you. Thinking I was doing the right thing. And don't think for a minute it was an easy decision." Natsu was speechless and just paced back and forth on the dock until he finally stood still and looked up at her " Lucy you could of never ruined my life I only applied to that school because I wanted to get a good degree so I could take care of you and Wendy. You were my everything and nothing could change that. When you broke up with me I felt like you decided I wasn't good enough anymore that you could find better and that nearly broke me. And then I hear that you moved to Crocus and were having a good life. I even went there once to look for you about a year after we broke up. I actually saw you in a coffee shop sitting with a guy laughing over something he said and it just pissed me off I couldn't even bring myself to go talk to you so I turned around and left. Lucy when I learned you were dating that idiot Dan I called Gray almost everynight drunk off my ass begging him to help me get you back. I swore him to secrecy to never speak of it again. I wanted to run to you but I couldn't. I moved back here not just to take care of Wendy but to be here if you ever decided to come home. Because Lucy I will always being waiting to welcome you home." Lucy was in tears listening to Natsu pour his heart out to her. "Lucy you are all I have every wanted and every needed. I've loved you since we met in the 3rd grade and have wanted to share my life with you since then. I know it sounds dumb and I don't deserve you even if I live a hundred lifetimes but Lucy Heartfelia I'm in love with you and I'm gonna be in love with you until the day god drags me from this life and even then I'm not going without a fight. So what do you say am I ten years too late to have you or am I not able to have you love me again?" Natsu was now standing face to face with Lucy never breaking eye contact, he softly wiped the tears that were running down Lucy's beautiful face waiting for the love of his life to answer him. Lucy looked into to his eyes and let out a soft sigh before talking "Natsu Dragneel I love you now, I loved you then, and I'm gonna love you 50 years from now. Please let me love you with all my heart until the day it stops beating. Natsu you are not ten years to late, you are perfectly on time. I love you." and with that she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, he eagerly returned the kiss with all the passion he could muster. "I love you Luce please can we be together again" Lucy smiled " I thought you'd never ask". The couple heard cheers coming from behind them and turned to see all their friends standing by the doors leading to the deck. Gray cheered " About damn time you idiots" and Levy said " took you long enough", Erza looked sternly at the couple " If either of you mess this up again you have to deal with my sword" Jellal tried calming his wife softly "Erza sweetie please don't threaten our friends." "Juvia is so happy for her past love rival Lucy". Gajeel just shook his head calling them both "idiots". Slowly everyone went back inside to enjoy the party. 

Around 12:30 Lucy and Natsu said their goodbye and went to Natsu's jeep. Natsu asked Lucy " would you like to stay over at my place, I forgot to tell you my brother and his wife are back in town, they moved about 3 houses down from my place with their son August. Luce they are just gonna love you and Zeref's wife Mavis is awesome and August is so cute." Lucy smiled happily at him before asking "Um Natsu this is probably a dumb question but what are we now, title wise? " . Natsu looked at her like she had grown another head before giving a soft chuckle and saying " Your my future wife of course, no way in hell I'm letting you go again, and I've been told getting paper and jewelry involved make it a little harder for you to get rid of me." Giving her a wink he drove them the last few blocks to his home. " So Luce what do you think about moving in here with me, not right now of course but in a few months? I mean Wendy is going to be moving in with Romeo after the wedding in December and I can't live in this big house alone with just Happy, so what do you think? No rush of course". Lucy gave his a sweet smile and said " On one condition, I'm allowed to get a puppy of my own. If you can agree to that then I'm more then willing to come live with you." Natsu cheered " hell yeah i agree to that." Giving Lucy another kiss the couple walked up the pathway to the house, only now noticing the few sets of eyes on them through the front bay window. Now embarrassed and slightly freaked out the couple entered the house to be greeted by Natsu's whole family. Mavis welcomed Lucy with a hug and kiss on the cheek and introduced herself as "Doctor Mavis Vermillion Dragneel, her new sister in law" which made Lucy laugh out loud and Zeref also gave Lucy a big hug welcoming her to be his sister in law. He was so happy for the couple since he had known how his younger brother had felt about the blonde beauty since the first day they met. Wendy and Romeo were just as excited for the couple and a very sleepy little August just wanted to go to bed, even though the thought of having another Auntie made him very happy. After a few more hugs and goodnights were said the Dragneel household headed to bed. Lucy followed Natsu up the stairs to his room that overlooked the backyard. Happy was already asleep at the foot of the bed. Natsu gave Lucy a shirt to wear since she was still wearing her dress and both got ready for bed. After faces were washed and teeth were brushed, the couple crawled into bed. Natsu cuddled up behind his one true love and both started to fall asleep, but right before Lucy fell asleep she remembered something " hey Natsu what did you mumble to me the other night while hugging me?" Natsu opened his eyes and looked at the blonde laying in his arms "I said I will always love you" this made the blonde smile her heart so full of joy. "Oh good I was afraid is was something silly". The couple closed their eyes again but right before sleep took over Lucy whispered "I'm happy I wasn't ten years too late." 

The end.


End file.
